Manzanillo: Coast, Refuge and Route to Gandoca

Manzanillo offers two concrete starting points for planning a trip: a route to Gandoca and the coastal sector within the Gandoca-Manzanillo Mixed National Wildlife Refuge. There is also the question of which beach conditions matter for your travel dates. These different perspectives can help you decide what to focus on before looking for a vacation rental: a named route, the protected-area connection, or beach use.

A route from Manzanillo to Gandoca

In the Manzanillo sector, a 5 km route runs from Manzanillo to Gandoca. Its endpoints are clearly named, making it a useful point of reference for your plans. If you want to include the route in your stay, check current trail conditions in advance. Also consider whether you want this route to be the main focus of a day or one of several reasons to get to know Manzanillo. This way, planning starts with a specific connection and what you would like to do.

Beach information with a date reference

As of January 11, 2024, Manzanillo was considered an accessible beach in the southern Caribbean region for people with disabilities, people with reduced mobility, and older adults. On the same day, 33 m of retractable walkways were installed on the beach, and an amphibious chair was made available. If accessible beach use is important for your trip, ask about the current availability of this equipment before your visit.

For a trip involving several generations or people with different mobility needs, it may help to consider this early in your planning.

Coast within the Gandoca-Manzanillo Refuge

The coastal sector of Manzanillo is part of the Gandoca-Manzanillo Mixed National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is publicly and privately owned. This means you can understand Manzanillo both as a specific stretch of coast and in terms of its connection to a protected area. If this connection matters to you when choosing a destination, it offers a point of reference alongside the route to Gandoca. Gandoca is the destination of the 5 km route; Gandoca-Manzanillo, by contrast, refers to the refuge.

Choose your travel focus when looking for accommodation

You can separate your decision into three questions: Would you like to plan for the route to Gandoca, are you interested in the coastal sector’s connection to a protected area, or is beach use a deciding factor for your trip? These points lead to different considerations, even though they all relate to Manzanillo. When searching for a vacation rental, you can first decide which aspect you want to shape your stay. If beach use is important, check the current availability of the equipment mentioned in 2024 in advance. If the route is your main interest, current trail conditions are the relevant thing to check.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Guapiles, Parismina, Puerto Viejo, Cariari, Búffalo, Punta Uva, Cahuita, Roxana

For the broader travel overview: Limón.